Ngô Phương Ly, spouse of the General Secretary and President Tô Lâm, presented a symbolic "Việt Nam Bookshelf" to the BIBLIOTEKET Rentemestervej library in Copenhagen.— VNA/VNS Photo

COPENHAGEN — Ngô Phương Ly, spouse of General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam Central Committee and President Tô Lâm, and Danish Queen Mary presented a Vietnamese book collection to BIBLIOTEKET Rentemestervej, a library and community cultural centre in Copenhagen, during a visit to the establishment on Tuesday.

The Vietnamese first lady and Danish Queen toured the facility, which opened in 2011 and combines a library, cultural centre, creative workshop, community centre, public service offices, and concert hall. They then visited reading rooms and children’s play area and made bookmarks together.

Madam Ly highlighted the library as a hub of knowledge and culture that brings local residents together, praising its efforts to foster reading habits among children. She stressed that despite rapid changes in information access driven by digital technology and artificial intelligence, printed books and reading culture remain irreplaceable, helping develop critical thinking, nurture imagination and foster empathy.

To introduce Việt Nam's people, history, culture and daily life to Danish readers, the collection features popular Vietnamese literary works, and books on Việt Nam's history, geography, arts, heritage and customs, she said.

Books offer a valuable way to understand a nation, and lasting friendship between the two countries begins with mutual understanding of each other's history, values and spirit, Ly said, expressing her hope that the library will continue to share readers’ needs.

She affirmed Việt Nam's readiness to provide more books to enrich the collection, contributing to the friendship and mutual understanding between the two nations.

Ngô Phương Ly, spouse of the General Secretary and President Tô Lâm, and Queen Mary of Denmark visited the reading room at BIBLIOTEKET Rentemestervej, a library and community cultural center in Copenhagen. — VNA/VNS Photo

Showing gratitude for Việt Nam's gift, Queen Mary said the initiative will encourage reading and strengthen friendship between the two countries, while helping Danish people, particularly younger generations, learn more about Việt Nam.

She recalled the Danish Royal Family’s special ties with Việt Nam, including late Prince Henrik’s time in the country. The queen also shared her and King Frederik X's fond memories of trips to the Southeast Asian country when they were Crown Prince and Crown Princess. She expressed her hope of returning to Việt Nam soon.

Ly thanked the Danish Royal Family and Queen Mary for their warm welcome and voiced her wish to welcome the King and Queen to Vietnam in the near future.

She said she believes that people-to-people exchanges will further strengthen the foundation of friendship between the two countries.

Presented on the occasion of the 55th founding anniversary of Việt Nam–Denmark diplomatic relations, the book collection symbolises friendship between the two peoples and offers Danish children an opportunity to discover Việt Nam through its stories and fairy tales.

At a state banquet the day before for General Secretary and President Lâm and his spouse, King Frederik X also highlighted the library visit and the book presentation, thanking Ly for her “generous gift” to BIBLIOTEKET Rentemestervej. — VNA/VNS

Ngô Phương Ly, spouse of the General Secretary and President Tô Lâm, with preschool children at BIBLIOTEKET Rentemestervej – a library and community cultural centre in Copenhagen. — VNA/VNS Photo